Chasing the Thief
I once had an experience of being stolen from, but this time it was not just a battle of wits, but also of courage. The thief was a man, and I am a woman. He is 1.8 meters tall while I am less than 1.6 meters. However, I managed to get my money back. At that moment, I was very nervous, but now when I talk about it, it seems quite funny.
That day, I was riding my bicycle past the train station. There were many people on the road, and I was slowly riding with the crowd when suddenly someone touched my coat pocket. Instinctively, I reached for my pocket. To my surprise, there was nothing in it. My wallet was gone! Thinking about the more than one thousand yuan I had just withdrawn from the bank, I couldn't help but shout: "My wallet!" Immediately, I jumped off the bike and looked around, hoping to see the person who stole my money. But all around me were people riding bicycles slowly. They all turned to look at me because of my scream. Only a boy in his twenties was walking on the sidewalk nearby.
My first reaction was: Those riding bicycles definitely couldn't have done it; only those on foot could have approached me. But when I looked at the boy, he wasn't particularly close to me. As I thought about this, I turned around again to look around. But with so many people around, which one was the thief? I was a bit lost, standing there for a few seconds, my mind blank. The only suspicious person seemed to be that boy walking on foot. But at that moment, he was buying something in front of a store nearby. What should I do? Regardless, I decided to check him out first.
I parked my bike by the roadside and went straight to the boy's side. I patted his two coat pockets, but they were both empty. "What are you doing?" he asked as he turned around while selecting goods. I stood there, full of anger but speechless. "Do you think I'm a thief?" he asked me. I didn't answer. "You're mistaken. I saw the person who stole your money; he has already gone that way," he said. I felt like I might have made a mistake. Then, from the north, a boy about his age was waving and signaling him to come over. He waved back but stayed where he was.
Seeing this situation, if... I thought he didn't seem like a thief, so I came over to push my bike. But just as I was about to ride away, I heard the shopkeeper cursing at the boy who had just left her store. Suddenly, I thought: Why would she curse him for no reason? So, I turned my bike around and chased after him. He was quickly walking south. I hurried to catch up with him, grabbed him, and wouldn't let go. He said, "What do you want to do? What do you want to do?" I replied, "I don't want to do anything." He then said, "I've told you, the person who stole your money has already gone. Why are you grabbing me?" I said, "Let's go to the police station together. If I'm wrong, I'll pay for your wasted trip."
With us tugging and pulling each other, many people gathered around us to watch. Seeing the situation, he decisively said, "Alright, let's go." So, I followed him south.
I didn't know where the police station was, and whether he was really the person who stole my money, I had no idea at all. But regardless, I still decided to go to the police station. After walking for a while, we reached a place to park bikes. I wanted to park my bike there before continuing, so I asked him to wait for a moment. Who knew that before I even stabilized my bike, he started running. At this moment, I knew for sure. I told the bike watcher to keep an eye on my bike, and I started chasing after him, shouting loudly, "Catch the thief! Catch the thief!" Unfortunately, despite the crowded train station, no one helped me. He ran into a mall. The counters inside were arranged in a maze-like pattern, twisting and turning. I chased after him but soon lost sight of him. Just as I was getting anxious, the shopkeepers nearby started giving me directions: "Left, left, right, right." I chased around the mall, panting heavily, but I still couldn't find him.
The mall had several exits, and I didn't know which one he used. Helplessly, I walked towards the nearest exit but still felt a little reluctant. When I reached the exit, I searched everywhere, but the bustling street showed no sign of him. With a long sigh, I was about to leave when I noticed a lot of people in a jewelry store. Among them was someone who looked exactly like him, carefully picking out jewelry. I approached and confirmed it was him. This time, I wouldn't let go. He said, "Let me go, let me go. I won't run anymore since you've caught me." I replied, "Who believes you? Wang Xiaoliang catches frogs, hand over the wallet!" He said, "The wallet isn't on me. Let's go get it together." I believed him because I had already checked his coat pockets, and others had mentioned how thieves nowadays work as a team, specializing in their roles—some steal while others hold the loot. They aren't like ordinary people, indifferent and scattered. In fact, I had seen his accomplice.
Because of their unity and cooperation, victims often fear the thieves. Thinking about this, I became somewhat worried. As a woman with no strength to fight, where would he lead me? If he took me to a secluded spot, beat me up, and ran away, I'd lose both my money and suffer a beating. No, I can't leave the crowded area; I need to think of a plan.
Just as I was hesitating, a young couple passed by. The woman was gentle and beautiful, while the man was in a police uniform. My heart secretly rejoiced, thinking, "Truly, heaven helps me." So, I shouted towards the man in the police uniform, "Comrade Policeman, I've caught a thief!" The policeman looked at me, hesitating, unsure what to do. At that moment, the woman pulled his arm, signaling him not to intervene. Thus, the handsome young couple walked away closely embracing, leaving me tightly holding the thief's arm, angrily watching the pair in police uniforms walk away elegantly.
Suddenly, I remembered 110 (emergency services) and the mobile phone in another pocket. So, I pulled out my phone, ready to call 110, while feeling grateful to the thief for stealing my money and not my phone; otherwise, I would have been truly helpless. Seeing that I was about to call 110, the thief panicked, repeatedly saying, "Don't call, don't call, I'll go get your wallet." I hesitated, considering that it would take time for 110 to arrive, so I stopped calling and continued walking south with him. After a while, he refused to move any further, standing there motionless. With no other choice, I called 110 again. Just as I was about to speak after the line connected, he got scared again, pleading, "Don't call, don't call." So, we continued walking.
In this way, I held the thief's arm with one hand and the phone with the other, much like holding a whip to drive a donkey—whenever he stopped, I would threaten to call, and whenever I threatened, he moved. We eventually arrived at a small stall near Yuanling Mall selling mobile phone cases and keychains. He said we had reached the spot. Beside the stall stood several young boys and a young girl. The boys watched me holding his arm silently, but the girl was fierce, aggressively yelling at me: "What do you want to do? What do you want to do?"
Knowing I wasn't dealing with her, I simply said, "Ask your own people," and ignored her completely. She yelled for a while, finding it uninteresting, and stopped. I then demanded my wallet, but they kept dodging and wouldn't give it to me. With no other options, I called 110 again and informed them of my exact location. The 110 operator said they would arrive soon and asked me to stay put. After I hung up, the group panicked. The thief pretended to search someone else's pocket but actually pulled out my wallet from his own pants pocket and handed it to me. I took the wallet, counted the money, and was about to put it away when he asked me, "How much money is in there?"
At that moment, I realized he hadn't even had time to check his "work" results, and all his efforts had gone to waste. Thinking about this, I couldn't help but fear retaliation. As I walked back, I hoped 110 would arrive soon. Seeing me leave, they began packing up and retreating.
Looking at their flustered expressions, I let out a long sigh of relief. Only then did I realize my stomach was hurting badly. During the chase, I had run hard and swallowed a lot of cold air. Now, the pain was unbearable, so I pushed my bike home without further concern for the money or the thief. Just as I left, the 110 call came through. They had arrived so quickly that all my previous dissatisfaction with the police disappeared, leaving behind only respect. In critical moments, they are indeed our protectors, safeguarding our lives and safety.
When I returned home, my parents scolded me for valuing money over life. I told them that when someone gets stolen from, they lose not only money but also dignity.